Goodwill® Serves as Resource for Job Seekers Year-Round

Nonprofit offers job training and job placement, as well as Labor Day shopping couponsCHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 31, 2015) — With unemployment rates hovering at 5.5% in North Carolina and 6.7% in South Carolina, individuals in the region are still in need of work. Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont provides job training and employment services for individuals facing barriers to employment such as lack of skills, experience or education, criminal backgrounds and more. Services are free of charge, as proceeds from donations and purchases at Goodwill retail stores fund these programs. Goodwill celebrates the American worker and this Labor Day reminds those in need of employment to visit any of the nonprofit’s four job resource centers in Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia and Lincolnton. As the region’s largest private provider of training services for people with barriers to employment, Goodwill’s mission is to change lives through the power of work. “We have resources available at Goodwill to help you no matter what your career path may be,” said Dana McDonald, Ph.D., Director of Goodwill University. “Last year, Goodwill put an average of 20 people to work each week in our community.” Programs and services available to job seekers include:

For those in need of additional training, Goodwill offers Occupational Skills Training programs, seven- and eight-week-long courses for careers in the industries of:

Banking & Customer Service – certifications include Working Smart and the Career Readiness Certificate.

For those in need of brushing up on job preparedness skills, Goodwill offers résumé building, mock interviews, computer courses and career coaching.

For those seeking temp-to-hire or direct employment, GoodWork Staffing, a division of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, places individuals in jobs in a variety of industries.

Homelessness can be a crippling barrier to employment in which an individual may be in a constant state of transition and lacking a valid address for job applications. For Cassandra, a formerly homeless single mother of two and client of GoodWork Staffing, not having a plan for herself and her children was scary, but she found the help she needed at Goodwill. “At Goodwill, I not only received employment training, but I was quickly placed in a job where I felt valued, appreciated and able to support my family,” said Cassandra. Through a temp-to-hire placement with GoodWork Staffing, she is now employed full-time in a Mecklenburg County government office. Read more about Cassandra’s success story and watch her video here. As the Labor Day holiday weekend approaches, members of the community can celebrate the American worker with Goodwill by donating clothing, electronics, housewares, furniture and more to receive a “Spend $20, Get 20% Off” your purchase coupon. Donate to any of Goodwill’s 22 retail stores or 12 attended donation centers in the region during Labor Day weekend from Friday, September 4th – Monday, September 7th and receive a shopping coupon (not valid for purchases at the Goodwill Outlet store or The GRID: Powered by Goodwill). Every bag of gently used clothing donated to Goodwill funds one hour of résumé building for someone in the community. Purchases made at Goodwill retail stores support job training and employment services for unemployed and underemployed individuals like Cassandra as they upgrade their skills to enter the competitive workforce. Each week, 250 people access Goodwill’s employment and basic needs resources. In 2014, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont provided employment services free of charge to more than 13,000 individuals thanks to donations from the community. For more information about Goodwill and its programs and services, visit www.goodwillsp.org. # # # About Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont Goodwill has been serving individuals and families in the Southern Piedmont region of North and South Carolina for 50 years. Goodwill operates 22 retail stores and has more than 50 donation sites in the region. Proceeds from the sale of donated goods fund job training and employment services for individuals facing barriers to employment such as lack of skills, experience or education. In 2014, Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont placed nearly 1,100 individuals in jobs. For more information, visit www.goodwillsp.org. Media Contact: Molly Thompson | Public Relations & Social Media Manager | Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont | Office: (704) 332-0262 | Email: molly.thompson@goodwillsp.org Facebook: GoodwillSP | Twitter: @GoodwillSP | Instagram: @GoodwillSP